LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION & VEGETATION RANGE SHIFT IN THE ALPINE ECOSYSTEM UNDER THE PREVAILING CLIMATE-CHANGING SCENARIO IN THE HKH REGION OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Mountains are highly subject to LULC changes driven by human induced factors, and altered the climate of the highland ecosystem. Climate changes prompt major alteration in the highland ecosystem. The rangeland shift towards height is one of the indicators that climate is changing all over the globe and is affecting a range of biodiversity. Using satellite data from Landsat 4-5 for the years 1988, 2010 and 2020 changes have been identified in 7 classes i.e. snow, waterbody, rocks, forest, agriculture, built-up and rangeland in the Upper Swat, HKH region of Pakistan. The primary focus of the study was on changes in the rangeland to detect vegetation range shift in the study area. Major findings of the study in land use changes observed is the expansion of forest on 54.56 Km2, built-up area on 9.35 Km2, agriculture on 36.46 Km2, waterbody on 20.83 Km2, rocks on 98 Km2 and rangeland on 485.97 Km2 while the snow has been decreased by -681.66 Km2. Vegetation expansion has likely affected the study area's water and carbon cycles as well as the livelihood of millions living downstream.